Part IV: January, Chapters 51 Summary

On Shelter Island, Michael is recuperating from his gunshot wound, reading the daily papers for the "fallout" of Dayton's investigative piece. Beckwith has weathered the storm, thanks largely to his wife's astute move in designing a campaign refinance bill which Beckwith has introduced as his own work. The new law will ban unregulated contributions and force major television stations to provide free campaign ad time equally to all candidates for a national office. Samuel Braxton's tarnished reputation has moved him to withdraw from the nomination for Secretary of State, but he remains managing partner of his law firm. Alatron Defense Systems has withdrawn from the bidding on the missile defense project, following threats of a full Congressional investigation, and the contract is awarded to another firm. The murders of Susanna Dayton, Max Lewis, and the state trooper...